Glee returns for its 3rd season. See what The Outhouse's resident Gleek, Erik Galston has to say about the episode.

After a mediocre second season, Glee returned to former glory in the season 3 opener. Instead of focusing on just a couple characters, every character got some spotlight in the opener. Ryan Murphy promised a return to basics, and it really was. With only 5 musical numbers, the emphasis seemed to back to the story and the characters.

The episode started by having Jacob go around asking everyone what there future plans were, with this the audience finds out who among the glee club are seniors and who are juniors, Tina and Artie are juniors while the rest are seniors. Mercedes revealed that Sam moved away after his father got a job in another city, and that she was now dating a new guy. Rachel and Kurt plan to go to New York for college, and Finn has no clue what he's doing. During the first glee club meeting, we find out that Lauren quit Glee club after the nationals loss, and Quinn has not been heard from since. Shortly after Quinn walks down the hall with pink hair, nose piercings and a new attitude, and a new set of friends, the "skanks." Sue announces not only that she's running for congress on a platform of cutting the arts, but she also makes Santana and Becky co-captains of the Cheerios.

Santana tries to recruit Quinn to come back to the Cheerios, but Quinn declines. Rachel then talks to Quinn about rejoining New Directions. Quinn declines Rachel's offer as well, but seems to have second thoughts about her decision.

In order to recruit new members for New Directions, Will tells the club that there will be purple pianos randomly placed around the school, and when the club finds them, they need to perform a song in front of who ever is there. To counter that Sue tells Santana she needs to destroy all the pianos and make it look like an accident.

During lunch, a purple piano is in the cafeteria, so after Rachel rallies the club, the group performs the Go-Go's "We Got The Beat." After the performance, Becky slushies Rachel, which causes a mass food fight. Defeated the group goes back to the choir room, where a potential recruit comes in. Sugar Motta, the daughter of the man who donated the purple pianos, auditions. Sugar, after saying she was better than everyone else, can't sing. This leads Will to wonder if he needs to be a little tougher.

Rachel and Kurt are told about a school in New York that is holding mixers in the area. They prepare what they think is a great number, only to arrive at the mixer and get embarrassed by how talented the other students are. Both Rachel and Kurt vow to make sure the other person gets into the school.

Blaine, who transferred to McKinley, auditions for the club by performing, Tom Jone's "Its Not Unusual" with the Cheerios. The song ends with the Cheerios putting lighter fluid all over the piano. Quinn happens to flick her cigarette bud, and it sets the piano on fire.

After the events outside, Will welcomes Blaine into the club, while banning Santana from the club for being the cause of the fire, and siding with Sue. Rachel announces that the musical should be West Side Story so she can play Maria, which Mercedes demands open auditions. Kurt declares he's running for senior class president. The show ends with the group singing "You Can't Stop the Beat," while Quinn looks on from the rafters.

I really enjoyed the season premiere of Glee. The characters really reminded me of how they were in the first season. I'm also really digging the "new" Quinn. One of the things that really has me looking forward to this season, is the amount of "outside" writers that are being brought in. Just looking at the credits Marti Noxon from Buffy and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (comic fans will recognize him from his work for Marvel Comics) were brought in among others.

Fans of the Glee Project will recognize on of the two runners up from that show Lindsay Pierce as the featured soloist at the mixer.

I'm completely optimistic that this season of Glee will be better than the previous one. Just judging from the clips for next episode it seems to be.

Written or Contributed by: Erik Galston

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